Two US Senators asked the Department of Justice and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to start an investigation into whether employers asking job applicants for usernames and passwords violates federal law.

The issue has come under scrutiny in the past week, after the Associated Press and others reported on employers asking applicants for Facebook usernames and passwords. Facebook took a stand, saying it could take legal action, although the company noted that it has no immediate plans to sue any specific employers.

US Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) asked the agencies to investigate whether such requests violate current federal law, the senators said yesterday. The Senators plan to write legislation filling any gaps in federal law that might allow employers to require login information to social networking sites and e-mail accounts.

While disturbing, the problem is likely not very widespread. Forbes called it "the great Facebook employee password nonissue," saying most of the cases reported by news media took place in 2010 or earlier. In a case involving the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the department dropped the requirement, but still requests "voluntary" access to usernames and passwords, Forbes reported. In 2009, the city of Bozeman, Montana, decided to stop asking applicants for Facebook passwords after a flood of opposition.